Redshank
- Persicaria maculosa

Short to medium, erect to sprawling, hairless, branched plant. Leaves lanceolate, tapered at the base, often with a large blackish blotch. Flowers crowded in stout, short spikes, pale to bright pink.

Similar Species

The flowers look similar to Amphibious Bistort and paler forms also resemble Pale persicaria

Identification difficulty

ID guidance

No glands (or few) on flower and flower-stem, which is usually glabrous; veins of outer tepals undivided or divided with with forward directed branches. Dark blotch on leaf can be seen on P lapathifolia as well. Leaves lanceolate

Recording advice

Photo showing flower and flower stalk without glands

Habitat

Waste, bare or cultivated land, often close to water.

When to see it

June to October.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

Widespread and common in Britain.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 569 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Native, Locally Frequent